Sneeze guards have been used for many years to protect unpackaged prepared food and beverages, when they are displayed in a service line for customer viewing and selection, from certain contaminants. Indeed, state and local laws and regulations require all such food to be shielded from droplet contamination which may be expelled during a cough or sneeze from the nose or mouth of a potential customer.
Accordingly, sneeze guards are well known and widely used in the food service industry. Sneeze guards are customarily used in retail food service such as cafeterias, smorgasbords, salad bars and buffet lines, which provide a service line displaying food for a customer's selection. Sneeze guards must protect the displayed food in the zone of potential droplet contamination. The zone of potential droplet contamination is determined based upon the height and placement of the service line, and the average height range of the potential customers.
Although sneeze guards are available in several styles and configurations, typically a sneeze guard has either a rigid support frame, or two or more rigid and stationary support posts, and a mounted pane of glass or plastic material which provides the shield or barrier between the displayed food and the customers. Generally, the rigid support frame or support posts of the sneeze guard are permanently affixed to a stationary surface, such as a service counter or cart. In some preferred sneeze guards, one or both ends of the mounted pane of glass or plastic are abutted with another approximately triangular or sector-shaped and preferably transparent pane or sheet comprising a “wing”, which provides a guard against airborne contamination of the displayed food from a person approaching the service food line, serving table, or the like.
Some sneeze guards are designed for use with an attended station in a retail food establishment or an institution. In the attended station, the customer in a service line views the displayed food from the front through a transparent shield or pane, and the selected food is served or handed to the customer by an attendant stationed behind the sneeze guard and service counter. The panes of a sneeze guard for use in an attended station service line are generally made so that such panes are completely in front of and over the displayed food or beverages, preventing the items from being handled or touched by the customers.
Sneeze guards are also used for self-service food and beverage lines. In the self-service areas, the customer in a service line also views the displayed food or beverage through a transparent pane, but then reaches under the pane to obtain the selected item. The panes of sneeze guards for use in a self-service area of a service line must be made so that such panes cover the food or beverages from the top and partially cover the displayed food from the front, allowing sufficient space for the customer to reach under the panes to obtain the selected item.
Considering all the potential variables for food service lines, including but not limited to, service counter size and height, size and placement of food containers and dispensers of food/beverage items, and height of customers, a sneeze guard which is not adjustable has severe limitations. It is clear that a non-adjustable sneeze guard must therefore be designed and constructed specifically for each application in order to ensure that the zone of potential droplet contamination is adequately covered. It is also clear that the same sneeze guard unit could not necessarily be used interchangeably for an attended station and for a self-service area service line.
Adjustable sneeze guards are also known. In one type the adjustable sneeze guards may have rigid support posts which may allow the transparent pane to be raised or lowered as appropriate to provide the required zone of protection. Other adjustable sneeze guards have a pivoting mechanism which allows a portion of the support post, or the shield material to pivot, thereby changing the angle of the shield material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,588,863 B1, issued to Yatchak, et al. discloses such an adjustable sneeze guard, whereby the angle of the shield material relative to the post may be adjusted then held in place using a hand-turned screw on the pivoting mechanism, and Atkins et al. U.S. Pat. No. 9,782,022 discloses an adjustment assembly comprising support columns having integral features for coupling an rotational hinge having a detent mechanism separate from other parts of the arm holding the sneeze guard pane.
In practical application, a sneeze guard is rarely a single shield or transparent pane supported by a rigid frame or support posts at either ends of the pane. There is frequently a need in the food service industry to adjust one or more of the panes: for example, to allow some portion of the sneeze guard to be used as an attended station, while other segments are used for self-service (such as selecting packaged beverage items). Further, in some circumstances the height and angle of some, but not all, of the panes may need to be adjusted to accommodate certain serving items, such as large chafing dishes.
Thus there is a need for a simple, elegant and flexible hinged adjustment mechanism that can be easily installed on any appropriate structure or surface, easily, and preferably independently, rotationally adjusted, and held in place without the need for tightening nuts or screws or locking the rotating portion of the hinge.